SteelSeries Apex Gaming Keyboard Review

SteelSeries Apex Gaming Keyboard

It’s been over three years since Legit Reviews took a look at a keyboard from SteelSeries so it’s time to catch up on what’s going on with the Apex Gaming Keyboard that was released back in summer 2013. This is a backlit membrane keyboard with lots of macro keys that’s about giving options and very much the theme of a number of SteelSeries past keyboards. We’ll see if that’s enough to justify its presence in a time when high mechanical switches are the norm feature on high-end and some mid-range gaming keyboards.

The SteelSeries Apex has a long list of features printed on the back of the box and most of them are quite notable. There are five backlighting zones each of which can be customized to glow a different color, 22 dedicated macro keys with four profiles, dedicated media keys, diagonal arrow keys, and USB passthrough. The Apex comes with a 1-year warranty and be purchased from Amazon for $85.99 shipped.

SteelSeries Apex Gaming Keyboard Features:

Introducing the SteelSeries Apex, a gaming keyboard designed to enable users to react quickly, move strategically, and customize its performance for every game. Beyond just choosing from 16.8 million colors, the Apex features SteelSeries ActiveZone lighting, a visual support tool allowing the user to independently customize each of its 5 zones and in multiple macro layers.

The SteelSeries key easily adjusts brightness and disables the windows key with no software required

The enlarged space bar and added directional keys are supporting features that improve comfort and reaction time

Anti-tangle, double braided nylon cord for enhanced durability

Integrated USB hub for added convenience

Ensure the most comfortable angle with swappable rubber feet

Supported by SteelSeries Engine technology the Apex can be configured and customized from illumination to advanced macro across SteelSeries peripherals on Windows and OS X

SteelSeries Apex Gaming Keyboard Specifications:

Keys

Anti-Ghosting: 20 Most Commonly Used Keys

Multimedia Keys: 6

Programmable Keys: 88 (Via 4 Layers)

Illumination

Number of Illumination Colors: 16 million

Number of Illumination Zones: 5

Size & Weight

Weight: 1330 g (2.93 lbs)

Width: 560 mm (22.05 in)

Height: 55 mm (2.05 in)

Depth: 220 mm (8.66 in)

USB Cable Length: 2 m (6.6 ft)

1-year warranty

The Apex comes with a SteelSeries sticker, quick start guide, and alternate set of raised feet for adjusting the keyboard height. The Apex keyboard support plug-and-play drivers, but the SteelSeries Engine software is required to create macro commands and modify the backlights.

i have 1 thing i hate with this object are theres no Fn on hte keyboard and the Mx can’t be set to be a fn which i would have loved

dragonthc

I agree entirely with the review. I bought mine several months ago and I haven’t been disappointed overall. There are a few issues that I feel like should be addressed.
1. The wrist rest has a relatively sharp edge. For those who game slumped down in their chair, this might hurt.
2. They put a play/pause key where the numpad enter goes. Luckily you can remap it.
3. There is no way to auto-repeat a macro. It’s just not in the software. This would be really helpful. A repeat while pressed, and repeat with delay while pressed.

basroil

No auto repeat is quite a dealbreaker for something this expensive
when even my $50 microsoft keyboard includes that in the driver.

dragonthc

I agree. I’ve even mentioned it to them. Perhaps it’s a patent issue. Still it’s a decent keyboard without that feature.

Ramin Quluzade

They finally added autorepeat and similar functions in Engine 3.

dragonthc

Engine 3 is such a colossal steaming train wreck. I specifically found a way to uninstall Engine 3 and revert back to Engine 2. Removing core functionality in software updates is a sure way to lose customers. You can’t remap every key in SSE3. Making the UI unnecessarily and drastically different from the previous version, is another way to lose customers.